Jiang Liu had not yet entered the meeting hall when he heard Master Lin's booming laughter from inside: "Hahaha! Looks like the Pan Family is completely finished this time!"
"Just think, the Pan Family had always relied on the alliance of the three families to hold themselves high above us, throwing their weight around and acting tyrannically. Who would have thought they would end up in such a state? It really is satisfying! Hahaha!"
Jiang Liu entered the hall and saw Lin Hao, Lin Hai, the other three leaders of Hunting Eagle Hall, and the managers of all eight branches present.
Lin Hai spotted Jiang Liu at once and called out, "Jiang Liu is here? What is it?"
Jiang Liu hurriedly clasped his fists in salute. "Greetings, Master Lin! Greetings to all the leaders and managers!"
Other than Lin Hai, the remaining eleven people were not very familiar with Jiang Liu. After Lin Hai explained who he was and told them that Master Lin thought highly of him, they did not want to slight Master Lin, so they all nodded and greeted him.
"Jiang Liu, what brings you here?" Master Lin asked, looking at him.
Jiang Liu hesitated, unsure how to put it.
Seeing that Jiang Liu seemed to have something difficult to say, Master Lin waved a hand. "You can all leave for now. I'll have a chat with Jiang Liu!"
The four leaders and eight managers exchanged glances, then bade Master Lin farewell and left one after another.
"Now it's just the two of us. Go on—what is it?"
"Master Lin, I've completed the Blood Exchange! I want to know which heart sutra would be best for me to cultivate."
"What? That fast?" Master Lin found it unbelievable. He immediately stepped forward, moved close to Jiang Liu, grabbed his arm, and circulated his essence energy to examine him carefully.
Master Lin meticulously inspected all of Jiang Liu's meridians and discovered that every one of his vessels was indeed open. He only needed to open his dantian and reach the Entry Grade.
"Hahaha! Good! Good! This is wonderful! You've really made Hunting Eagle Hall proud this time! Tell me, what reward do you want?" Master Lin said with hearty laughter.
The apprentices recruited by Hunting Eagle Hall had gone several consecutive years without anyone reaching the Entry Grade before the age of twenty. The other branch leaders had mocked them for years, saying that Lin Hao was nothing but a crude brute with terrible judgment, fit only for burying himself in hard work and unfit to manage a branch.
It had angered Lin Hao so much that he had nearly overturned the table on the spot. After all, he, Lin Hao, was a person of some standing in Cloud Sun City. How could he endure such humiliation? Unfortunately, he could not crush them outright in a fight. As for status, everyone was more or less his equal. All he could do was swallow his anger and wait for another opportunity.
"Master Lin, I want to understand which attribute would be best for me when choosing an Entry Grade heart sutra. Could you help me analyze it?" Jiang Liu asked eagerly.
"There are two ways to determine which heart sutra suits you. One is to choose the attribute you are naturally close to. The other is to test them," Master Lin explained.
"The instructors at the main hall didn't explain this to you earlier. They probably knew you wouldn't reach the Entry Grade so quickly, so they didn't spend time going over it with you."
"You should know about the nine natural attributes of Entry Grade heart sutras, right? Natural affinity is easy to understand. For example, if you are naturally drawn to water, then a Water Attribute heart sutra would suit you. That way, you can gather and condense essence energy faster, and you'll grasp the heart sutra more quickly as well. You'll reach a high grade sooner than if you cultivated another method."
"The second way is testing. This test carries a certain amount of risk. First, it wastes time. Second, it changes your habits in circulating energy. So if you can choose the one that suits you in a single attempt, that is best. Unfortunately, how could the affairs of the world ever go exactly as one wishes?" Master Lin spoke with a deeply rueful expression.
"The test involves spending the same amount of time cultivating Yellow Grade, Low Rank heart sutras of all nine natural attributes. Generally, three days is enough. You see which attribute's heart sutra agrees with you most, then choose that one. Although this method is a bit clumsy and wastes time, it is safer for the long road of martial cultivation."
"Has anyone ever cultivated heart sutras of two or more attributes at the same time?" Jiang Liu asked.
"Choosing to cultivate heart sutras of two or more attributes at once? I've heard of it among those great sects, but only true prodigies would attempt such a thing."
"After all, cultivating a heart sutra of a single attribute already requires an ordinary person to devote the effort of a lifetime. Two attributes require twice as much time. So, among those who cultivate two attribute heart sutras simultaneously, I've never heard of anyone reaching a high grade."
"Even if you could be invincible among those of the same rank, a high-grade martial artist who cultivated only one attribute could still toy with you. That's why dual-attribute cultivators soon become indistinguishable from the crowd, and their talent no longer shines."
"Later, when the various sects discovered that a disciple wanted to cultivate two attribute heart sutras, they would all crush the idea immediately, warning them not to waste their time. So now, the experts known throughout Jianghu all cultivate a single attribute heart sutra."
Master Lin explained everything in detail.
Jiang Liu listened, his heart filling with helplessness. Cultivating two attribute heart sutras already put one behind others, yet the Five Elements Heart Sutra required cultivating five attributes. Should he cultivate it or not? If he did not, it was a heart sutra rewarded by the system, and Jiang Liu was unwilling to give it up.
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